Farewell to the fat red hunter
Dec. 18th, 2013 02:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
olorielWe just buried my mother-in-law's cat, Garfield.
After her cat Tom died, she insisted for years that she did not want another cat. But one thing and another led to the fact that we were looking for a home for Shakira, a stray that had come into our flat at the time, given birth to two adorable kittens, and after weaning them needed a new home because our landlord wouldn't allow us to have three cats. So the mother-in-law adopted Shakira. We had the impression that she was very happy about the new cat in her life, but unfortunately, the joy was short-lived, because Shakira continued to love the outdoors more than the indoors; one day, she was run over by a car. At that point, my mother-in-law couldn't imagine life without a cat, so she went to the local animal shelter to adopt a new cat.
They had a lot of cute fluffy kittens and pretty cat ladies, but when the mother-in-law saw the shelter's 'problem case' - Garfield, a fat, old, grumpy orange cat, living in isolation - she sort of fell in love with him. Garfield was suffering from chronic renal insufficiency, and the folks at the animal shelter only expected him to live for two or three more years; the mother-in-law said OK, let's make it three years at a nice home.
That was in 2006.
In the past year, Garfield has regularly shown signs of declining health. He was loosing weight and getting sick more often than usual. He wasn't eating much at home (special food for cats with renal issues, of course), but apparently had several families around the neighbourhood who occasionally sheltered him and fed him (not knowing about the renal insufficiency, unless they were the rare cases who actually reported Garfield's whereabouts to the mother-in-law). He also hunted and ate mice and birds, and like many self-respecting cats refused to drink anything but stale puddle water.
On Saturday, a neighbour called to let the mother-in-law know that Garfield was lying on her doormat, "moving strangely". She suspected a stroke or something of the sort, but it turned but to be "only" dehydration; however, the vet said that the kidneys had entirely stopped to function, and it was time to discuss whether there was any sense in trying to "cure" this cat. As Garfield didn't seem to be suffering any pain, and recovered from the pseudo stroke symptoms after the vet had given him an injection of the missing liquids & minerals, he spent the rest of the day at our house (to the dismay of 'náro and Mr. Darcy), which he didn't seem to mind: He either sat in the kitchen, actually eating and drinking a little (perhaps motivated by the presence of other cats, OMG COMPETITION) or in front of the fireplace. When the mother-in-law returned home with him, he behaved as usual, so when he wanted to go out, she let him out.
He spent the last three days outside, which worried the mother-in-law - on the one hand, it was his custom to go on several-day hunting trips, especially around the full moon; on the other hand, well, he wasn't quite healthy. She went searching for him, but didn't find him. This morning, she did find him. Apparently, he had returned at night, but hadn't managed the jump onto the garage roof from which he can reach her balcony and come inside. Just how he died, we don't know; but at any rate, he almost but not quite made it home. Maybe he died during the jump, or maybe he just lay down in view of home. (He didn't freeze; it's currently too warm for that.) The mother-in-law had been afraid that he might have been run over, or maybe killed by other predators, so finding him "simply fallen asleep" was some small mercy. She was also relieved that the decision to "end his suffering" was taken from her. But she feels like it's her fault because "she was away from home so much" (which, in her mind, was what made this freedom-loving cat go away for so often and seek excitingly flavoured, non-diet food at other people's homes. He never would have done that if she had been at home 24/7, surely! >_>), and of course, that hurts.
It also hurts because while Garfield was old, ill, and already living on borrowed time - "two or three good years" turned into seven - that naturally doesn't make it any easier. He was a flatmate and a family member, the sort who often annoys you with his temper and his stubbornness but whom you nonetheless don't want to miss; life will be emptier without him. (I'm crying and I wasn't nearly as fond of him as my mother-in-law was.)
We buried him in our garden, behind the blackcurrant bushes. Rest in peace, Garfield; or rather, since peace never quite seemed to be your thing, rest in a place where you can hunt whatever you want without worrying about your kidneys.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 01:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 06:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 02:34 pm (UTC)Schön, dass er so einen gemütlichen Lebensabend bei deiner Schwiegermutter hatte. Mich macht es trotzdem immer fertig, wenn ich sowas lese.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 06:05 pm (UTC)*mitschnief*
no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 02:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 06:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 03:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 06:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 03:15 pm (UTC)And now you made me cry too, you evil thing! Even more because my mother&father in law's cat has cancer and will most likely be put to sleep next week (he is living his last good days these days), so my mood isn't at its highest.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 06:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 09:07 pm (UTC)Yes, we are totally spoiling and pampering him now, poor guy. He is still not in pain; when he will be, in a few days, we'll take him to the vet to do what's necessary. :(
no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 05:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 06:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 05:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 06:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-18 06:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-19 01:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-19 06:54 am (UTC)Condolences and hugs.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-19 11:31 am (UTC)Es ist gut zu wissen, dass er bis zuletzt zufrieden war und ein gutes Leben geführt hat.